Natsuki's Reality
by FutagoTwin
Summary: What happened after the HIME Carnival? Read to find out. Pairings: Shizuru and Natsuki, Haruka and Yukino, Wataru and Yukariko, Yuichi and Mai, Midori and Yohko, Kazuya and Akane, Takumi and Akira. Mai Otome is included. Sorry, I suck at summaries. I know I haven't been updating 'Atarashi' but I'm working on it.
1. Shizuru senses something bad

Finally a Mai-Hime fanfic! I couldn't think of any before but a good idea just popped into my mind! Here it is! It happened after the HIME carnival. I don't own Mai-Hime! Inspired by this image and the words in it and this song.

. /-T5S5nIkCygQ/TckXBFkVYII/AAAAAAAAAT4/XUXSWZCerWQ/s1600/sad%2Banime%2Bgirl%2Bin%2Bthe%2Brain% (The girl looked a bit like Natsuki)

watch?v=DR4d1jN6OZc (The music itself was touching but with the picture it was the best song I've ever heard in a long time.)

Class was boring as usual. Natsuki looked out of the window feeling bored and not paying attention to the teacher. She was naturally smart so she doesn't have any problems with exams. Her only problem was her attendance. She knew she would have to stay back for a year if she was absent for too many days. She had to stay back for one year before because of an accident and she definitely don't want to stay back for another year but this lesson was just too boring! The teacher just went on talking and talking non-stop. She had enough of boredom already. She took her bag and stood up. Immediately, everyone in the class turned and looked at her. She walked towards the door. Whispers and mumbling could be heard in the class. As Natsuki opened the door, the teacher stopped, or rather, tried to stop her.

"Umm…Kuga-san, where are you going to? Class has not ended."

"I'm going somewhere where boredom wouldn't strike me." Natsuki said before leaving. As she walked towards the student council room, she sighed as she remembered the HIME carnival. After the HIME carnival, Nao's mother continued recovering in the hospital, Nao stopped going after boys, Mai and Tate started going out, Shiho started supporting their relationship, Yukariko started dating Ishigami, in which they got married after that and Yukariko got pregnant, Midori went on adventures with Professor Sasaki and started going out with Yohko, Mikoto still sticks with Mai most of the time, occasionally going out with Nao and Yukino, Yukino started dating Haruka, Akane and Kazuya continued dating, Takumi and Akira started dating, Fumi became the school's new headmistress/administrator and Shizuru and Natsuki also started dating each other. Natsuki thought back to the accident that took her mother's and Duran's life and left her in a coma when she was only 7. Her father left her after that and went off with another woman. When she finally woke up about 11 months later, she heard from the doctor that was in charge of her that her father and his new wife died in another car accident a few days after he left her. It dawned on her after hearing that that she was alone in the world. She became an orphan at the age of 7. She would be sent to the orphanage and be locked up in it after she recovered. She didn't want that, so she escaped from the hospital before the day she was to be discharged. It sent the whole hospital into a panic but when they found her note that she left for them saying that she didn't want to go to an orphanage, they gave up the orphanage idea.

"There's no way that seven-year-old girl would want to go to an orphanage anyway. If she wanted to, we'd laugh." They said. They didn't know that she was listening from a hidden corner in the hospital. A tiny smile appeared on her face. The hospital received a thank you note from her after that. She had a hard time surviving after she left the hospital. She didn't beg for money like others would usually do. No, she decided to live on her own without the help of others. She used whatever money her parents had left to survive. She lived to avenge her mother's death. She still had the apartment that her mother used to live in together with her. The only problem with the apartment was debtors coming to get their money that her parents owe them and the landlord threatening to kick her out if she can't pay the monthly bill. Somehow, she survived through the hard times and got the Kazahana scholarship to Fuuka Gakuen. There, she met Sakomizu and Yamada, who gave her the information she needed. Soon after that, she met Shizuru, who was the first person to befriend her. And for her sake, Shizuru became the student council president so that she could borrow her laptop and use it for finding information.

Natsuki soon reached the student council room. She knocked once and entered. As expected, all of the student council was surprised to see her, even Shizuru.

"Ara, ara. If it isn't Natsuki. Aren't you supposed to be having lessons now? So why are you here?" Shizuru asked.

"It was too boring so I skipped out." Came the reply from the school's biggest delinquent.

"That wasn't a good thing to do, you know?" Shizuru said.

"Yeah, that's right. You've been ditching school for song time now and just when you're absent you decided to hop classes?!" Haruka said.

"It's 'some', 'present' and 'skip', Haruka-chan." Yukino corrected.

"That's what I said!" snapped Haruka. Yukino sighed upon hearing that.

"I know it's not good but come on, his lesson is like it was meant for the first graders." Natsuki complained.

"I know you're smart so it might seem like lessons for the first graders but it is actually the third graders lesson, honey." Shizuru said.

"Oi, Bubuzuke! Don't muse those lobe lords about us! This is a school and not a plate to he romantic!" Haruka shouted.

"It's 'use', 'love', 'words', 'around', 'place' and 'be', Haruka-chan." Yukino corrected again.

"That's what I said!" Haruka snapped again.

"Whatever." Natsuki said after rolling her eyes. Suddenly, the bell rang, signaling that it was time for dismissal.

"Oh, finally. I thought it would never ring. Well, I'll be going home now. Bye." Natsuki said.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Natsuki. Bye." Shizuru said before Natsuki left. Right after Natsuki left, Shizuru felt something. _Why do I feel so worried, angry and sad?_ She thought.

Yes, the last part gave it away. Something is going to happen.


	2. Nao senses something bad

Sorry, I was updating two stories at one time plus my sisters kept on snatching the computer away from me resulting in the late updates. I don't own Mai HIME.

Natsuki changed into her usual motorcycle suit and sat on her Ducati, seemingly waiting for something, or rather, someone. A smile appeared on her face when she spotted a certain red-head. She passed the red-head a helmet which she put on before getting on the Ducati. Then, they sped towards the hospital. Due to the speed they were going at, Nao tightened her hold around Natsuki's waist.

"Can't you go a little slower?!" Nao complained.

"Nope." Natsuki replied before continuing zooming off. Natsuki glanced at the red-head. After the HIME Carnival, Natsuki continuously did something that nobody knows. She would go to the hospital after school to visit Nao's mother. A few days later, while she was placing the flowers she brought for Nao's mother on the nearby table, Nao suddenly entered.

Flashback

"What are you doing here, Kuga?" Nao said in surprise.

"I'm here to visit your mother." Natsuki replied.

"I could see that but why are you visiting Mama?" Nao said.

"I guess I'm trying to make up to you for making your mother disappear." Natsuki replied. Suddenly, Nao caught sight of the flowers on the table.

"Those flowers, I was wondering how flowers seemed to suddenly appear on Mama's table when only I visit her. Now I know who was responsible for them." Nao said.

"I bought them as a get-well-soon present to your mom." Natsuki explained.

"But Fujino was the one who killed Mama, not you, so are you here on her behalf?" Nao asked.

"No, it was my fault. I was responsible for Shizuru's condition at that time." Natsuki said with regret.

"Oh, I see." Nao murmured before turning to look at her Mother, in which Natsuki was doing the same.

Ever since then, Natsuki would wait after school for Nao before going to the hospital with her to visit Yuuki Nanri, Nao's mother.

End of Flashback

They each sat on a chair beside Nanri, staring at her.

"I went to school as usual when I was 11." Nao said suddenly, startling Natsuki, who turned to look at her.

She continued with a shadow over her eyes. "I just got my test results back and was excited when I saw that I got full marks for it. I rushed home after school to tell my family about it but found that the house was wrecked. Everybody in the house except Mama who was in critical condition was dead. The doctors managed to save her but she fell into a coma." Nao said, lifting her head.

"That's sad." Natsuki said.

"You?"

"Huh?"

"What's your past? There must be a reason why you're chasing that First District or whatever it's called."

This time, Natsuki had a shadow over her eyes.

"I… I became an orphan at the age of 7. My mother, my pet dog Duran and I were in a car driving away from the First District when they tried to chase us. At the cliff, Mom swerved to avoid them who were waiting for us in cars and we fell. I was found a few hours after the accident in the sea in critical condition. Mom's and Duran's bodies were never found. The doctors managed to save me but I fell into a coma. While I was in a coma, Dad went off with a new wife but they both died a few days later. When I woke up 11 months later, I had to stay in the hospital for another month before I was discharged. During that 1 month, I got to know the doctors and become good friends with them. Two days before I was to be discharged, I overheard the doctors discussing about sending me to the orphanage. I didn't want to go, so I escaped the next day. When the nurse who came to check on me found me missing, the hospital panicked when they heard the news from the nurse. Then, they found a note left by me telling them I do not want to go to the orphanage. Upon knowing that, they cancelled the idea of sending me to the orphanage. I sent them a thank-you card after that and used whatever money my parents had left to survive. Well, debtors occasionally come to collect the money that my parents own them and the landlord threatened to turn me out of the apartment where my family and I used to live in if I cannot pay the monthly bill. Somehow, I survived through the hardships and received the Kazahana scholarship and transferred to Fuuka Academy."

"Is the apartment you were talking about…"

"The apartment that you destroyed during the HIME Carnival? Yes, that's the apartment."

"I'm sorry for destroying it."

"It's okay."

"It's tragic."

"What is?"

"Your past."

"Oh."

Suddenly Natsuki looked at her watch.

"Oh man, look at the time! I gotta go. Bye, Nao." Natsuki opened the door.

"Bye, Kuga." Nao waved and Natsuki waved back before heading home. Suddenly, Nao got a bad feeling. _Why do I get a very bad feeling?"_

That's all and as usual, the last part gave it away. Something is going to happen.


	3. Natsuki's in trouble

Okay, I admit it, I forgot that I have stories to update, so sorry. I don't own Mai Hime.

Natsuki sighed as she sat down on the sofa. She glanced at the clock. It read 9pm. She let out a yawn. She was dead tired and just wanted to sleep. Suddenly, her phone rang.

"Ugh, who could be calling me at this time?" Natsuki groaned.

"Hello?"

"Natsuki?"

"Shizuru? What do you want?"

"Natsuki, where were you today after school?"

"Uhm…I… I was at home reading a book."

"You're lying."

"No, I'm not! I swear!" Natsuki started to panic. _Shit! Did she find out? Oh no, she'll think I'm cheating on her! I can't let her know I was with Nao visiting her mother!_

"You were with Yuuki-san, weren't you?" One word echoed in Natsuki's mind. _Shit!_

"N-no! I wasn't!"

"Stop lying, Natsuki. I know everything. You met with Nao at your Ducati and rode off to some place with her. I saw you and that wasn't the first time!"

Natsuki was shocked. That was the first time she heard Shizuru lose her cool.

"Sorry, Shizuru. I didn't want to lie to you. Yes, I was with Nao but I was-"

"Stop it! I don't want to hear it!"

"Please, Shizuru! Listen to me! I can explain it!"

"There's nothing for you to explain, Natsuki! I'm sorry. It's just not working out. It's over between us. Goodbye."

"Wait, Shizuru!" Natsuki tried to explain to Shizuru but she had hung up the phone. Natsuki tried calling her over and over again but Shizuru had shut her phone down.

"Shizuru…" Natsuki sighed as she closed her phone. As she lay down on the sofa, she thought. _Sigh… I'm an idiot, aren't I? I made her angry, didn't I? I wonder what should I do now? _Natsuki stood up and looked out the window. _It's so cold. Oh right. It's winter now, though it hadn't snowed yet. I need to find some way to make money soon too. Okaa-san's leftover money is running out and I haven't paid the monthly bill for two months already. _Ding dong! The doorbell rang. _Now, who could that be to visit me at such a bad timing? _She opened the door to find her landlord standing there with a frown on her face.

"Kuga-san, you haven't paid the monthly bill for two months already and your neighbors complained that they were tired of hearing people at your house shouting and that wasn't the first time. You can't stay here anymore. I'll give you till tomorrow to leave. If you don't, I'll be sure to have the police deal with you." After saying that, her landlord left. (A/N: The people who are shouting are the debtors.) Natsuki just stood there stunned. When she snapped out of her daze, she closed the door and packed her things. As she went out, she gave the key to the guard, telling him to give it to the landlord for her. She went to where she parked her Ducati. She used a backpack with the face of a wolf with blue fur on it to contain her belongings as she only brought some things with her, mainly her school books, her clothes, three of her lingerie as the rest were destroyed when she fought the Orphan, her phone, her albums and photos, her uniform, her wallet and some money and basically the things that she needs and can be carried. First, she went to Mai's and Mikoto's dorm and handed her school books and uniform to Mai, telling her to take care of them for her.

Then, she rode to the cliff after buying a bouquet of flowers. There, she dropped the bouquet of flowers into the sea. _Kaa-san, it's been 11 years since the accident. I've been surviving after I woke up but now I feel like I want to join you and Duran._ Natsuki held the railing with both hands and put one leg on the railing. _I've decided, Kaa-san, to join you and Duran. Shizuru, I'm alone now and will probably be forgotten by you. Your love was all I had but now that it's gone, I have nothing to live for. So I'm going to my mom and Duran. Goodbye, everyone._

"Stop! Don't do it! Don't jump! Natsuki!" a voice that sounded similar to Natsuki's rang out, followed by a voice that sounded like Shizuru's.

"Natsuki!"

Ok, see what I mean when I said that something will happen and Mai Otome will be included? I'll be working on 'Atarashi' soon so chapter 4 will take some time.


	4. Enter Mai Otome

**Ok, so here's the next chapter. I don't own Mai HIME**

"Natsuki, save Okaa-san and Duran first!" a seven-year-old Natsuki said to another seven-year-old Natsuki.

"But what about you?"

"Don't worry about me. You can only carry two people at one time. Your GEM doesn't have enough power to teleport all of us. Go, quickly! I promise you, I'll be fine!"

"Ok."

One of them then teleported the unconscious Saeko and Duran to the Mai Otome universe. But by the time she came back, the other Natsuki and the car was nowhere to be found.

"NATSUKI!" was all she heard from under the sea.

Natsuki shot up. She looked around and found that she was in a car and it was moving.

"Finally, you're awake?" a voice similar to hers said. She turned and saw a clone of herself.

"Who are you? Why do you look like me? What happened?"

"My name is Natsuki Kruger. I am your twin. You probably don't remember me. Maybe the accident gave you a bit of memory loss. You tried to jump off the cliff but Shizuru and I stopped you." She replied but then saw her eyeing Shizuru.

"Her name is Shizuru Viola." Natsuki K said. (A/N: Natsuki K means Natsuki Kruger.)

"Ara, what is Natsuki's twin name?" Shizuru V asked. (A/N: Shizuru V means Shizuru Viola.)

"My name's Kuga Natsuki. Just call me Natsuki." K Natsuki answered. (A/N: K Natsuki means Kuga Natsuki.)

"I think you're tired, Natsuki. So are we. We did have some trouble trying to save you. I'll tell you more after we reach Garderobe." Natsuki K said.

"Fine, but you'll have to explain to me in full detail." K Natsuki said.

"Deal." Natsuki K said.

_**First Flashback**_

Natsuki stared into thin air through Garderobe's Principal office glass. _It's been 11 years since Natsuki died. _

**Second Flashback**

"_Natsuki, save Okaa-san and Duran first!" seven-year-old K Natsuki said._

"_But what about you?"_

"_Don't worry about me. You can only carry two people at one time. Your GEM doesn't have enough power to teleport all of us. Go, quickly! I promise you, I'll be fine!"_

"_Ok."_

**End of Second Flashback**

_But by the time I came back, the car had already fallen into the sea and Natsuki was nowhere to be found._ Natsuki K thought as she continued to stare out the glass. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and Chie Hallard burst into the room with Yumemiya Arika and Nina Wang. However, Natsuki K continued to stare out the window, oblivious to the newcomers.

"Gakuencho! Big and good news!" Chie exclaimed, snapping Natsuki out of her thoughts.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Nina-chan said she wants to make amends and come back to the academy!" Arika said.

"Please, let me rejoin the academy, Onee-ch-" Nina quickly slapped a hand over her mouth. Chie and Arika gave her confused looks. Natsuki frowned.

"Nina, I have told you many times already. Just because I look like your sister, doesn't mean you can start mistaking me for her."

"I'm sorry, Gakuencho."

"Anyway, I want to speak to you privately about you rejoining the academy." She nodded to Chie and Arika, who nodded in response and left the room.

Outside…

"Do you know what's wrong with Gakuencho-san today, Chie-sempai?" Arika asked Chie once they were out of the room.

"I don't know, but apparently something happened to her years ago on this very day. According to what I've heard, Gakuencho has a twin that died on this day years ago."

"Oh." Arika suddenly look sad. "She must miss her very much."

"She does. Because in that accident, she had only managed to save their pet dog and their mother, but not her twin."

Inside

"Don't let that happen again, Nina. You know that we have to keep this fact a secret."

"Yes, Onee-chan."

"Another thing, yes, you will be allowed to rejoin the academy."

"Thank you very much, Onee-chan."

"But I need you to do something for me."

"What is it?"

"I need you to find Miya Clochette and tell her that she's allowed to rejoin the academy and that whether she wants to rejoin or not will be her decision. I will tell Shizuru to tell Tomoe Marguerite that she is allowed to rejoin the academy and that whether she wants to rejoin or not will depend on her."

"But they are dangerous!"

"So are you. But everybody deserves another chance, don't you think?"

"Yes."

"Don't worry, they'll be watched carefully by Miss Maria and Shizuru until they are to be trusted again."

"Yes." Nina replied before turning to leave.

"Oh, and another thing."

"Yes? What is it, Onee-chan?"

"We have discovered something new. You might want to check the infirmary later on."

"Ok." Nina said and left. Natsuki let out a sigh after Nina left but straightened herself when she heard the door open again.

"Ara, did I miss something?" the ever familiar voice said.

"No, you're just in time, Shizuru. I want to go to the other universe again."

"To pay your respect to your twin again?"

"Yeah. You sure remember that fact well."

"Of course. So, shall we get going?"

"Let's go. Help me inform Miss Maria and Okaa-san."

"Your mother became Cardair's new president, right?"

"Yeah, after the fight that occurred there."

"Ok, I'll meet you in the car after I inform them."

"Sure."

In Mai HIME universe

After dropping the flowers into the sea, she entered the car and sat there for a moment. Just before she was about to tell the driver to start driving, she saw a clone of herself putting one leg on the railing at the cliff. She jumped out of the car and went to grab the girl who was about to fall but lost her balance and almost ended up falling together with her if not for Shizuru and the driver getting out of the car and catching them. The clone had fallen unconscious. A few minutes later, K Natsuki woke up.

_**End of First Flashback**_

At the top of the cliff where it was most deserted, they were about to open the portal when Natsuki K, who was about to fall asleep, saw Miyu, Alyssa and Nina. So she told them to get into the car and told them that they should sleep first and that she will explain everything to them in full detail when they reach Garderobe.

**That's all for Chapter 4 and I hope you enjoyed it. The explanation in Garderobe will appear in Chapter 5 or Chapter 6.**


	5. The search for Natsuki

**Here we go! Explanation in Garderobe will come in the next chapter, probably. I don't own Mai HIME and Mai Otome.**

"Hello?"

"Hello? Is this Tokiha?"

"Nao-chan? What's up?"

"I wanted to ask you if you've seen Kuga yesterday."

"No, why?"

"Damn! Where is she? Isn't she supposed to fetch me?"

"Fetch you? Fetch you to where?"

"To the hospital, duh! She didn't tell you?"

"No, but why the hospital? Could you be sick?"

"No, I'll explain later. Can you ring up the others for a HIME meeting now at Mai-HIME?"

"It's only 3 pm, Nao-chan."

"Never mind, tell them that I need to tell them something."

"Ok."

"Wait! If you can, contact Kuga and Fujino too."

"Ok. Bye."

"Thanks. Bye."

Mai closed the phone. _Mou, Natsuki, what did you do?_

"Mikoto!"

"You called, Mai?"

"We're on our day off today. We need to meet the other HIMEs."

"Ok! We'll be able to see the others! I wonder how they are doing."

Soon, the HIMEs were gathered at the restaurant that Mai owns, Mai-HIME.

"What did you call us for, Mai-chan?" Midori asked.

"Ask Nao. She told me to call you." All heads turned to Nao.

"I think Kuga didn't tell you but, she was doing something after the carnival. She always fetches me and visit my mother in the hospital with me after school." Nao said.

"So?" Shiho asked. Everyone was confused as to how that is related to the meeting they were having.

"As you can see, we have two HIMEs who are not present today." Everybody, after looking around, realized that it was true. Two HIMEs were not present.

"Where is Kuga-san and Kaichou-san?" Akane asked. Everybody replied with an 'I don't know'.

"Kuga disappeared. That's what I suspect. She never fails to fetch me and visit my mother. I don't know about Fujino though." Nao continued. All of the HIMEs gasped. Whispering and murmuring was heard, until suddenly Mikoto stood up. They looked at her.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go confirm it! I won't believe that until we can be sure that Natsuki disappeared! You guys think that way too, right?" Mikoto said. They looked at each other and whispering was heard again. Suddenly, Midori stood up.

"I agree with Mikoto. Let's go to Nat-chan's apartment now!"

"Count me in. She was visiting my mother with me to make up for Fujino destroying Julia and now I'm gonna return the favor." Nao said, standing up too.

"I'm going too! I own Natsuki-san a favor too. After Kazu-kun disappeared, I was depressed and was sent to a privately controlled mental institution. It was horrible being there but Natsuki-san saved me from there and sent me to another safer institution." Akane said.

Soon, everybody agreed except for Mai.

"Tokiha-san, are you going?" Fumi asked, snapping Mai out of her trance.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm going. I was just thinking about something."

"Thinking about what?" Akira asked.

"Well, you see, after Shiho-chan was defeated and Tate disappeared, I became somewhat crazy. But Natsuki managed to calm me down."

_**Mai's Flashback**_

"Ne, Natsuki?"

"What, Mai?"

"Do you remember how you kept on hugging me trying to comfort me after I turned a bit crazy when Tate disappeared because Shiho-chan was defeated?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Why did you kept on hugging me, trying to comfort me even though I kept pushing you away?"

"I was always alone. I lost people precious to me, just like Nao. The reason I wasn't like Nao was because you and Shizuru and the others were there for me. Seeing you like that broke my heart, I suppose. I never want to see any of you like that, my friends who trusted me and prevented me from becoming like Nao. Sometimes I wished Nao had friends like mine who trust her. Then maybe she wouldn't be like how she is now. That's why I tried to comfort you even though you kept pushing me away. It was the least I could do for you." Mai smiled.

"Thanks, Natsuki."

_**End of Mai's Flashback**_

Everyone felt determined to find Natsuki after hearing Mai's story.

"If not, she'll think that we, her friends, let her down, right?" Yukino said. Everyone nodded and then proceeded to Natsuki's apartment. They rang the doorbell and even knocked but Natsuki didn't answer.

"If you're looking for Kuga-san, she was turned out of her apartment because she couldn't afford to pay for the monthly bill." A voice said.

They turned and saw a lady with yellow hair.

"The poor thing she was, struggling to survive on her own. I'm Kuga-san's neighbor, Kagamine Rin." They stood there for a moment before Midori stepped up.

"Do you know where Nat-chan is now?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, I don't know. All I know is that she left last night. I hope she's alright."

The others looked at each other sadly.

"Can we see the landlord?" Yukariko asked. Rin agreed and brought them to the landlord where they proceeded to talk to the landlord.

"I'm begging you; please let Natsuki-san have her apartment back." Akane pleaded, bowing down. The others followed.

"Please!" they said, bowing down.

"But she did not pay the monthly bill." The landlord said.

"We'll pay for her!" Mikoto blurted out. They looked at her.

"We'll pay the monthly bill for Natsuki, so… so please let her have her apartment back! I don't want her to live on the streets because she has nowhere to go to! Please!" Mikoto begged, bowing down. The others bowed once again.

"Are you sure you bunch of kids have enough money to pay for her monthly bill which she did not pay for two months already?" the landlord replied with a smug look. The others looked at one another, unsure of whether they could pay for it or not.

"If you can't afford it, then don't even bother to come." The landlord said.

"Unforgivable…" Everyone turned to look at Nao.

"Unforgivable! The way you act about this… It pisses me off!" everyone looked shocked, including the landlord.

"Do you know how much she has gone through? She barely has any money left to provide for herself! You think everyone is rich? You think just because she is living in an apartment, she has lots of money? Gimme a break!" she shouted, her words leaving everyone speechless. Nao took a deep breath and continued.

"Tell me, do you still have your parents or your siblings or your relatives?" The landlord nodded.

"My family was killed by a bunch of robbers when I was 11. After that, I was left with only my mother who is currently in a coma. I thought life was cruel for me and that I was the most pitiful being on earth." Nao said a bit calmly. "But after knowing Kuga's past, I felt that she was far more pitiful than me!" Nao said, suddenly turning angry again. "How easy do think it is, surviving on your own at the age of 7? How easy do you think it is, coping with the fact that you became an orphan at the age of 7? How easy do you think it is, getting into an accident with your mother and your pet and being the only one that survived? Do you think it's a nice feeling to be one year older than all the students in your class? Do you think it's a nice feeling, knowing that your father, your only family left, left you in the hospital while you were in an 11 months coma with another woman, only to die with the other woman soon after he left you?" She screamed.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know! I will let her have her apartment back and give you guys time to pay her monthly bills! I've also heard that debtors come to her house occasionally to collect their debts, so I was thinking maybe you want to know that too." The landlord said, feeling sorry for Natsuki.

"Thanks for telling us. We'll make sure to pay her monthly bills and settle her debts." Mai said.

"Hmph! If I was in Kuga's situation now, I'll be surprised if I haven't committed suicide." Nao said. Then suddenly it dawned on everyone. _Suicide! That's it!_ They thought at the same time. They rushed to the place where they think Natsuki is most likely to commit suicide, the place where Saeko and Duran died, A.K.A. the cliffs. When they reached there, they searched the place. However, they couldn't find anything. As they were about to leave, Nao saw something glisten near the edge of the cliff. She immediately ran over and then she saw it. _The ring Kuga has… this emerald was the wolf's eye…_ she picked up the tiny emerald gem on the ground and slid it into her pocket before joining the others. She showed them the emerald and told them what it was. The emerald gave them hope.

They looked up at the full moon and thought the same thing at the same time. _Natsuki/Natsuki-san/Nat-chan/Kuga/Kuga-san, wait for us. We'll find you. At all cost._

**That's it for Chapter 5.**


	6. The explanation

**Here's the explanation of Garderobe. Sorry it took so long. I have another story 'Why didn't you tell me, Natsuki?' my version of a sequel to damn unique's 'One day' to update. I asked damn unique for permission and damn unique agreed so anyway, I don't own Mai HIME. I think that putting letters in front of their names is a bit weird so I'm going to stop doing that.**

**By the way, I thinking of putting omakes in my stories, so just tell me what you think about it. Thanks!**

Natsuki opened her eyes and blinked a few times, letting her eyes adjust to the light.

"So you're finally awake?"

She looked up to find Yohko smiling at her.

"No, I'm dead." She replied sarcastically. Yohko just chuckled.

"You know, sarcasm once someone wakes up in an entirely different world is really something you don't see much. Nice to meet you, I'm Yohko Helene, Chief Medical Officer and the Director of Science Department of Garderobe. Call me Yohko, please. I don't prefer the name 'Helene' in Garderobe." Yohko held her hand out.

"I'm Kuga Natsuki. Natsuki is fine." Natsuki said as she took Yohko's hand.

"You really look like our Gakuencho, you know, Natsuki-san. In fact, I was surprised when Shizuru-san came in carrying you. At first I thought you was Gakuencho and freaked out. Then Shizuru-san calmed me down and told me you weren't Gakuencho. Still scared me though. Garderobe would've been out of control without Gakuencho."

"Gakuencho?"

"Yes, Natsuki-san is Garderobe's Gakuencho."

"Oh, I see."

"Well then, shall we go to the Gakuencho? I've been given orders to bring you to her once you wake up." Natsuki nodded her head and followed Yohko.

Natsuki looked at the people she had gathered. _Nina, Nina, Alyssa, Alyssa, Okaa-san, Shizuru, Miss Maria, Yukariko, Duran. _She sighed. _Now all we have to do is wait for Yohko and Natsuki._ She looked up immediately when she heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." Yohko and Natsuki entered the room.

"Gakuencho, we're here."

"Yohko, Natsuki, I was waiting for you. Did any of the students see you?"

"Nope."

"Good. Now let's start the explanation, seeing that some people are already eyeing Natsuki." She stood up and walked to Natsuki.

"This is Kuga Natsuki, my twin. She was in an accident when we were both seven. Please ask any questions you have." Natsuki introduced her to the others.

"That would explain why there was a clone of Gakuencho just now. But why doesn't she seem to know about this universe?" Yukariko asked.

"I guess I forgot I had a twin. I remember the doctors saying something about slight memory loss or something and a list of my injuries after my accident." Natsuki suddenly said.

"Then do you remember now?" Yukariko asked.

"Well, a bit, I guess. I remembered something after I had a dream. I remembered telling my twin to use the GEM she took from Okaa-san to teleport Duran and Okaa-san to this universe and falling with the car into the sea and Natsuki screaming my name. I guess it was showing me the things I forgot. I remembered everything about the accident after that dream. Okaa-san and Duran didn't die. The reason their bodies wasn't found was because they were here, in this universe." she answered. Natsuki smiled.

"Glad you remembered. Some people were afraid you wouldn't remember them." Natsuki said, looking at two people. Natsuki followed her twin's gaze and her eyes widened when she saw… _Okaa-san. Duran. _

"Natsuki-chan, Natsuki-chan told me what happened during the accident after I fainted from fright. Thank you for saving me and Duran. I'm sorry for leaving you alone. You must have been lonely. It must have been hard for you, living as an orphan at seven." Saeko said. Natsuki didn't feel tears streaming down her cheeks. All her mind was filled with was the fact that her mom and Duran were alive. Duran gave a happy bark and ran towards her, who knelt down with her arms apart and hugged him.

"Duran…" Natsuki buried her face in his fur. Duran whined a little, pulled away and started liking her tears. Natsuki looked into his eyes which seemed as if he was saying 'Don't cry' to her. She smiled with tears still flowing.

"Thank you, Duran." She said, hugging him again. Saeko came closer and hugged both of them.

"Okaa-san… Duran…" Natsuki murmured before more tears fell.

"Umm… let's get back to the explanation, shall we? I think lots of us still have questions." Yukariko-sensei said. Everyone agreed.

"Well… I'll explain most of the things, I suppose, since I'm the one who knows what is mostly going on here." Natsuki started and everyone agreed.

"So how old are you, your twin, the two Nina and the two Alyssa?" Miss Maria asked.

"Natsuki, Natsuki, Nina, Nina, Alyssa and Alyssa are sisters. Actually, step sisters. Natsuki and Natsuki are born with the same father. Nina and Nina are born with another father. Alyssa and Alyssa are born with yet another father. Basically, they are born with the same mother, me, but different fathers. Natsuki, Gakuencho of Garderobe, is 17 and older than Natsuki by a few minutes. Natsuki is 17 and older than Nina, her other name being Chun Mei, from the other universe, also known as the Mai-HIME universe, by a year. Nina is 16 and older than Nina Wang from our universe, A.K.A. Mai-Otome universe, by 3 years, making Nina Wang 13. Nina is older than Alyssa Searrs from Mai-HIME by 6 years, making Alyssa Searrs 7. Alyssa Searrs is older than Alyssa Kruger by two years, making Alyssa Kruger 5." Saeko answered.

"So basically, Natsuki Kruger is 17, oldest, Kuga Natsuki is 17, second oldest, Chun Mei is 16, third oldest, Nina Wang is 13, third youngest, Alyssa Searrs is 7, second youngest and Alyssa Kruger is 5, youngest." Miss Maria said and Saeko nodded.

"Ara, such a big family. I didn't know Natsuki has a twin as cute as she is." Shizuru teased.

"Shi-Shizuru!" Natsuki Kruger blushed, and so did Kuga Natsuki.

"But all of you have different surnames. If all of you have the same mother, what is your real name?" Yohko asked.

"My full name is Kuga Saeko Kruger. In the HIME universe, my full name is Kuga Saeko. In the Otome universe, my full name is Saeko Kruger. The same goes for my kids." Saeko said.

"Okay, my turn. Can anybody tell me about this universe?" Natsuki asked.

"This is the Otome universe. Garderobe is the school where female virgins come to train to become Otomes. Otomes fight and battle Slaves and enemies. Every year, we would choose a few girls out of the countless girls that were sent by different countries to train them into Otomes. So far, Aries is the hardest to handle so far. Haruka practically sent a whole army! Luckily, Yukino is there to control her. Otomes who have a master are called Meister Otomes. Their robes are activated by this GEM." Natsuki said, showing her GEM to Natsuki.

"The one that you used to teleport Okaa-san and Duran to the Otome universe, right?" Natsuki just nodded.

"Fumi-sama is the founder of all Otomes. There are five special Otomes who are referred to as the Five Columns. Each of the GEMS that can have a Meister and a Master has a name. Fumi-sama is the Master of the Five Columns. The Five Columns work directly for Garderobe. Sara Gallagher is the first of the Five Columns and her GEM is the Milky Way Aquamarine. I am the second of the Five Columns and my GEM is the Ice Silver Crystal. Shizuru is the third of the Five Columns and her GEM is the Bewitching Smile Amethyst. Nao is the fourth of the Five Columns and her GEM is the Break String Spinel. Mahya Blythe is the fifth of the Five Columns and her GEM is the Swirling Dance Fluorite. Arika is also a Meister and her Master is Queen Mashiro. Her GEM is the Blue Sky Sapphire. In fact, Nina is also a Meister and her Master is also Queen Mashiro. Her Gem is the Neptune Emerald. Well, there are lots other Meisters but we'll put that aside. Actually, there is a secret of these GEMS. You can form a duplicate of them." Natsuki's eyes widened.

"Wait- Y-you don't mean-" Natsuki nodded.

"We are going to form a duplicate of my GEM and Nina's GEM. Then, we'll create a new GEM for Alyssa." Natsuki almost fainted.

"But I don't want a Master!" she protested.

"That won't be a problem because the wielder of the duplicate GEM won't have one. They can materialise at any time because the duplicate GEM will follow the original GEM Master."

"Fine." Natsuki smiled.

"Also, I want you to become the Gakuencho of Garderobe with me."

"What?!"

"Well, unless you want to be a Coral."

"No thanks. I'll accept your offer. By the way, how do you umm… you know… become an Otome?"

"You just have to say 'Materialise'."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Natsuki sighed._ How nice. First, Shizuru broke up with me and won't even bother to listen to my explanation. Then, I was turned out by my landlord. Then, I suddenly found my twin and my other sisters and end up staying in a new universe._

And with that, Garderobe had a second Gakuencho (though none of the students know yet, they will soon. Either next chapter or the chapter after the next chapter.), Natsuki now wields the duplicate of the Ice Silver Crystal, Nina/Chun Mei now wields the duplicate of the Neptune Emerald, Alyssa Kruger has a new GEM and her GEM is the Golden Angel, Alyssa Kruger is a Meister and her Master is Miyu and Alyssa Searrs wields the duplicate of the Golden Angel.

**The last part was for ****summarising**** the second last part up. Anyway, my most sincere apologies ****for taking so long to update. My dad confiscated my sister's laptop and it was back to the old days where I have to fight with my sister for the computer.**


	7. Working

**Okay, I'm back! Nice to see you all again! I'm sorry for taking so long to update! Here's the next chapter!**

"Hey, have you heard?" whispered a voice.

"What? What is it?" whispered another voice.

"I heard that we're going to have two Gakuenchos from today onwards!" whispered the first voice.

"Eh? Really?" whispered the second voice.

"And also, I heard that our second Gakuencho is the long lost twin of Gakuencho!"

"Twin?"

"Yes! I've also heard that the only way you can tell them apart is that our Gakuencho has a clip while our second Gakuencho doesn't!"

"I want to meet her!"

"Me too!"

Whispers and murmurs were heard all around Garderobe that day about the second Gakuencho.

"Okay, settle down. Most of you might know already but anyway, you are going to have a second Gakuencho." Natsuki announced to the students of Garderobe who were gathered in front of the gates. Another Natsuki walked up.

"My name's Natsuki Kuga. Nice to meet you. I'm going to be your second Gakuencho." Nat said. (I chose to call K Natsuki Nat. She said Natsuki Kuga because in Mai Otome universe, they say their name first before their surnames.)

The students clapped, excited about how life in Garderobe would be with two Gakuenchos who were twins.

"How much more do we have to save?" Mai asked while cooking ramen for the hungry customers in Mai-HIME.

"Lots more." Nao replied while serving the customers. The group had decided to work in Mai-HIME to save money to settle her debts. And as expected, Mai-HIME was filled with customers the minute the sign was changed to 'OPEN'. When it was time for lunch break, some people will continue to work while the others went to have their lunch and then they will switch. Chie groaned upon hearing Nao.

"How did that Kuga get such a huge debt? My legs and arms feel like they are breaking." she whined.

"Now, now, Chie-chan. You know we are all in this together. Don't worry, I'll pay you back when we get home, ok? " Aoi said, immediately lifting Chie's spirit.

"Then let's get back to work!" she said and everyone agreed.

**Ok, late chapter and late update. My most sincere apologies, everyone. Next chapter will be out as soon as I get it done.**


	8. Getting used

**I'm so sorry! I was so engrossed in Rosario + Vampire that I totally forgot about my other stories! I was also thinking of continueing to update 'Atarashi' so those of you who know Higurashi No Naku Koro, please read it!**

Nat sighed as she was working on some documents on the desk.

"Care to share?" Natsuki, who was beside her, asked. Nat shook her head and sighed again.

"It's about your Shizuru, isn't it?" Nat nodded.

"Kind of."

"Well, tell me. If I'm you, I say you're thinking about something that happened between you two."

"Yeah, you see, in my universe, twelve girls every three thousand years but this year, there are thirteen because Lyssa is a fake HIME. The twelve girls, known as HIMEs, fight against monsters called ORPHANs. But these ORPHANs are just a distraction. If we HIMEs choose to fight, we have to give up what's precious to us. That is not our lives, but the lives of our most precious person which are going to be lost in the upcoming HIME Carnival. In the HIME Carnival, the HIMEs fight with each other. If a HIME's CHILD is lost, in other words, if a HIME is defeated, their CHILD will disappear and so will their elements and their most important person because a CHILD is born from the affection for a loved one. I happened to be Shizuru's, Shizuru happened to be mine, Nao's was her mother, Mai's was either Tate, Mikoto or Takumi, Takumi was Akira's, Kazuya was Akane's, Tate was Shiho's, I don't know who is Fumi's but I know that Mashiro is her CHILD, Mikoto's was Reito, Midori's was her professor, Yukino's was Haruka, Yukariko's was Ishigami and Alys's is her 'father'. During the Carnival, Shizuru lost her mind because I rejected her love. As a result, she destroyed Nao's CHILD, causing her mother to disappear. Nao's mother was her only family after a robbery occurred at her house when she was 11. It left her mother in a coma. So after the Carnival, I felt somewhat responsible for Shizuru's actions so I've been secretly visiting Nao's mother in the hospital until I was caught by Nao and ended up fetching her after school and visiting Nanri, Nao's mother, with her. Shizuru found out and got the wrong idea which caused her to break up with me so, yeah, I'm kinda depressed."

"I kind of understand how you feel." Natsuki said.

"Maybe your Shizuru thought that you were cheating on her when she found out that you've been with another girl every day and riding off to someplace that she didn't know and you were keeping it a secret. Or maybe she's jealous that you kept hanging out with another girl every day." Both Nat and Natsuki turned to see Shizuru behind them.

"I see. I didn't think of that at all. I really am a failure as a lover." Nat said.

"That's not true. Some people are just a bit slow, that's all." Natsuki said.

"Yeah, especially Natsukis. They tend to be denser and slower. I'll never forget that time when I had to leave for a month. Before I left, I told Natsuki that I love her. She just gave me a confused look. It wasn't until half a month later that she finally figured out the meaning of my words and called me just to say or rather scream my name. After her call, I got another phone call from Mai and the others telling me how they had to give her so many clues. Should I tell you what some of the obvious clues are?" Nat nodded.

"SHIZURU!" Natsuki's face resembles an over-ripe tomato. A sudden knock on the door caused them to turn silent. Shizuru took her place beside the desk while Nat and Natsuki took their place at the desk and sat down before granting the person at the door permission to enter. The door opened to reveal a busty orange haired girl and a girl who looked like a cat together with a black cat.

"Mai! Mikoto! Jyuubei!" Natsuki exclaimed in surprise.

"So both Mai and Mikoto has look-alikes here." Nat said, clearly surprised.

"Mai, there are two Natsukis!" Mikoto said, jumping on Mai.

"Woah, you're right! What happened?" Mai asked. Natsuki explained everything to her.

"Hmm, Natsuki's long lost twin, huh. Not bad. But seriously, six sisters?" Mai said, while Nat nodded. Suddenly, there was a bark. Nat looked up and smiled at the sight of Duran with Lyssa (from mai otome) riding on him.

"Man, Arika, remind me why am I companying you to see Gakuencho again."

"Aww, but Chie-sempai, you haven't met our second Gakuencho yet since you were busy that day, right?"

"Fine, fine." A knock on the door…

"Come in." Arika and Chie entered.

"Good morning, Gakuencho. So, Arika, who is this sec- Oh my god." Chie said, noticing Nat.

"Why didn't you tell me that Gakuencho's twin was the second Gakuencho?" Chie said, taking Arika by the collar and shaking her.

"Awesome, right?" Arika said with spinning eyes.

"Awesome? This is fantastic! I'll go tell Aoi now! Excuse me, Gakuencho!" Chie exclaimed before running out of the office.

"Bye, Gakuencho! Sorry for taking up your time!" Arika said before leaving. An awkward silence filled the office when Nat broke the silence.

"So, Chie and Aoi have look-alikes too." Natsuki just nodded.

"Ok, so where were we?" Natsuki started but a knock on the door interrupted them again.

"Enter." Nat said in her official tone. Miss Maria and Yohko entered.

"Gakuencho, please don't forget that you have a meeting in about 10 minutes." Yohko reminded Natsuki.

"I know. Aswad will be there too, right?" Natsuki said. Yohko nodded with a slight blush.

"Judging by the blush on Yohko's face, I say that Midori has something to do with this Aswad, right?" Nat guessed. Natsuki nodded.

"Gakuencho, you can come too and introduce yourself at the same time. There is already an extra chair placed beside Gakuencho's seat prepared for you. It can also be practice for you since you will be attending more of these meetings in the future." Miss Maria suggested. Nat agreed and stood up together with Natsuki and Shizuru and they headed for the Council.

"Oh no!" Natsuki exclaimed out of the blue, halting to a stop. Shizuru and Nat turned to looked at her.

"What's wrong?" Shizuru asked.

"I forgot the documents in the office! They're essential for the meeting!" She replied in a panicked and urgent tone. Nat looked at her watch that Natsuki had given her, saying that a watch is important for them to keep track of the time and that all of the staff and other countries had them.

"You're in luck, we still have 5 minutes until the meeting. You go and get those documents. Don't worry, Shizuru will bring me to the Council." Nat said.

"Sorry, Nat, Shizuru. Thanks!" Natsuki said before rushing back to the office to get the documents while Nat and Shizuru proceeded to the Council.

"Oi! Bubuzuke! When are you going to start the meeting?"

"Ara, Haruka should know that I'm not the Gakuencho." Shizuru replied to the loud-mouth.

"Even Haruka. And they are so much alike and loud." Nat mumbled, her eyes closed and her elbows on the table, her fingers crossed and her head resting on her crossed fingers.

"Calm down, Haruka-chan. And yes, Gakuencho, it's already 2 minutes past the meeting time, so I would like to know when you are starting the meeting." Yukino stated calmly.

"Not yet, I'm waiting. I'm afraid all of you will have to wait for a little more." Nat said. Haruka just groaned.

"Everyone is there already. What are they waiting of?"

"It's 'here', 'we' and 'for', Haruka-chan." Yukino corrected. Nat just sighed while Haruka opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Enter." Nat said in her official tone. Natsuki had told her that the official tone must be used in meetings at all times. Natsuki entered, giving everyone an apologetic smile.

"Sorry for the wait." She said, walking to her seat while everyone looked from her to Nat and back to her and again and again with wide eyes. Nat just gave her a small smile.

"Took you long enough."

"Sorry, I was delayed because I had to face Miss Maria's music." Shizuru and Nat just laughed inwardly.

"I see. Well, I hope you aren't too deaf to hear the meeting." Nat teased while Natsuki chuckled.

"Relax, I won't be deaf enough if Haruka is here." Natsuki joked.

"Hey!" Haruka yelled.

"Calm down, Haruka-chan. I believe you own us an explanation, Gakuencho." Yukino said. Arika, who was standing with both Ninas, just smiled.

"I suppose I do." Natsuki said, taking her seat.

"Let's see… Ok, so I have five sisters. From the oldest: Me, Nat here, Nina there, Nina Wang there, Alyssa Searrs and Alyssa Kruger." Natsuki began while the others started to notice the extra Nina. Arika was surprised for another reason and that is the fact that Nina is the Gakuencho's sister.

"Alyssa Searrs, Nina and I came from one of the many parallel universes." Nat said. Natsuki continued everything and started the actual meeting.

"So how do you like the meeting?" Natsuki asked her twin.

"It can be better if there isn't any conflict." Nat said, remembering all the arguments that broke out every few minutes.

"I know. I hate it when they argue over trivial matters." Natsuki said.

"Ara, those are really troublesome, aren't they?" Shizuru said.

"But at least we were able to keep them under control." Nat said.

"Yeah, I gave them my shut-up-or-get-out glare and you gave them your make-any-more-noise-and-I'll-kick-you-out-of-here glare and they shut up immediately. If that didn't work, we gave them our death glare and that work wonders." Natsuki said.

"Yeah, that was our killer glare that sends people to hell and back. If we combined it together, it becomes the killer glare that sends people to hell and back and to hell and back again. So maybe we should call it the killer glare." Nat said.

"I agree." Natsuki and Shizuru said in unison. They laughed and talked about things all the way back to the office. _Life here is going to be interesting._ Nat thought as she lay in bed with an already asleep Natsuki beside her. Unknown to her, Nina who was lying in bed with an already asleep Nina Wang beside her and Alyssa Searrs who was lying in bed beside an already asleep Alyssa and listening to the already asleep Saeko's breathing in the bed next to hers and Alyssa's were thinking the exact same thing.

**Finished! Read it please? And sorry for the late update! Ran out of ideas.**

**Natsuki: So that's why you took so long?**

**Futago: Yep.**

**Shizuru: *Holding a naginata* Liar. Futago, you were watching another anime and working on a story of that anime.**

**Natsuki: Oh, really… *Materialises two pistols* You have a death wish, Futago?**

**Futago: Umm… See you! *Runs off***


	9. People of the Past

**I'm back! Enjoy! Also, I think that this chapter is going to be a little sad.**

Natsuki woke up in the middle of the night and half asleep, she dragged herself to the kitchen to grab a cup of water. When she came back, she was about go back to sleep when she noticed that Nat wasn't in the bed that they shared. Her eyes immediately snapped open and she looked frantically around for Nat. Her eyes instantly caught sight of said girl at the balcony, looking at the full moon. Her ears picked up on a familiar song. _(Song: Canta Per Me by Yuki Kajiura)_

_**Canta per me addio (Sing for me farewell)**_

_**Quel dolce suono (that sweet sound)**_

_**De' passati giorni (of past days)**_

_**Mi sempre rammenta (Always remember me)**_

Natsuki walked towards Nat as she started to sing.

_**La vita dell'amore (The life of the love)**_

Nat turned around while Natsuki continued.

_**Dilette del cor mio (beloved in my heart)**_

_**O felice, tu anima mia (Oh happy, you, my soul)**_

_**Canta addagio (Sing slowly)**_

"You remember that song, I see." Natsuki said, standing beside Nat and looking at the moon.

"Of course. How can I forget a song that both of us created?" Nat said, turning to look at the moon.

XXXX Flashback XXXX

Two little girls with cobalt blue hair sat in front of the television and watched in awe as the singers on stage sang various love songs.

"Hey, Nat!"

"Hmm?"

"Want to create a love song of our own?"

"Sure!" A few minutes later, Saeko walked into the living room and smiled when she saw her two oldest daughters writing something. Then, she went back into the kitchen to cook dinner.

"Natsuki, this isn't working out." Nat said with a frown.

"I know. This is difficult." Natsuki said with a similar frown.

"Hey, how about we use Catalan?" Nat suggested.

"Yeah! We have a Japanese-Catalan dictionary, right?"

"Let's go get it!"

Two hours later, Saeko went to call her four daughters for dinner. (Both Alyssas were not born yet and Nina Wang is 1 years old, making the other Nina, A.K.A Chun Mei, 4 years old. Both Natsukis are 5.)

"Mama! We created a song!" Natsuki exclaimed.

"Really? That's amazing!" Saeko smiled and pat both Natsukis' heads.

"Do you want to hear it?" Nat asked. Saeko nodded.

"I'd like to hear it, but I'm sure your younger sisters would love to hear it too."

"We can sing for all of you!"

"That'd be great." The two Natsukis sang and Saeko praised them.

XXXX End of Flashback XXXX

"Want to continue the whole song?"

"You bet." The two then started to sing.

_**Tempra la cetra e canta (Strengthen your lyre and sing)**_

_**Il inno di morte (the hymn of death)**_

_**A noi si schiude il ciel (The sky opens to use)**_

_**Volano al raggio (Fly to the ray)**_

_**La vita dell'amore (The life of the love)**_

_**Dilette del cor mio (beloved in my heart)**_

_**O felice, tu anima mia (Oh happy, you, my soul)**_

_**Canta addio (sing farewell)**_

_**La vita dell'amore (The life of my love)**_

_**O dilette del cor mio (Oh beloved in my heart)**_

The two continued to stare at the moon.

"I feel like a fool, believing that Shizuru will wait forever for me to love her and forgive my every action." Nat said.

"Just because you know she will wait for you forever, doesn't mean you can let her wait that long."

"I suppose you're right. You know, it sucks when the person whose attention is all you want in the world ignores you."

"I know. It's hard when you know you shouldn't hold on and yet you're too in love to let go."

"Do you know how right you are? I just can't let her go. I love Shizuru but I regret that I haven't told her yet." Natsuki stared at her twin, surprised.

"She's your girlfriend and you two are dating but you haven't told her that you love her yet?" Nat nodded.

"You know, Natsuki?"

"What?"

"Missing someone hurts. But what hurts even more is knowing that you're the reason they're gone. I didn't know that missing Shizuru could hurt so much." Tears threatened to spill from Nat's eyes.

"I know I experience it before. When an unknown entity petrified Shizuru." Natsuki said, tears streaming down her face at the sight of Nat in that state and at her memories.

"She was turned to stone?" Nat asked, turning towards her twin, who nodded.

"How did it feel like?" she asked.

"I felt so helpless without her. It made me realize how much Shizuru meant to me. She was my life. I couldn't do anything for her. It was my fault too. I was the one who sent her there to check the place. I was doing everything I could. I was alive but I was dead on the inside. It hurt so much that at one point I almost tried to commit suicide."

"What did you do?"

"I took a penknife. As I moved the penknife nearer and nearer to my wrist, my head was filled with thoughts of Shizuru and I thought 'Shizuru, wait for me. I'll be joining you soon.'. I didn't know what I was doing. All I could focus on was slitting my wrists, yes, both my wrists, with the penknife in my hands. After that, I don't remember anything. The next thing I knew, I was in the infirmary with Yohko looking at me worriedly. Then, I heard from Yohko that when she entered my office to give me whatever information she found out, she saw a lot of blood. My desk, my clothes and I were covered in blood and she freaked out at the sight. I had cut open one of my veins in my left hand and was pressing the penknife on my right wrists. She immediately took the penknife and threw it away from me. Then, she carried me and rushed to the infirmary to treat my wounds. She also said that I was awake and alive but I was in some kind of trance. My eyes were dull when she found me. Of course, the news made the whole school panic and when I woke up after that, Yohko said that all the students visited me and left some gifts. Miss Maria also gave me a scolding for my reckless actions. When Shizuru was turned back to human, Yohko told her what happened. She cried for days and scolded me. Heck, even Mai kept crying and scolding and Mikoto kept saying how I shouldn't worry the people who care for me. Man, in fact, the news was like told to everyone and they all came to cry or scold or nag. I was tempted to take a broom and use it to chase them away!" Nat chuckled a little.

"I feel like it is my fault that Shizuru got the wrong idea though. I should have told it to her. Really, what am I doing? I been thinking this for quite some time already but I kept denying it. Now, I'm very sure." Nat looked up and faced Natsuki.

"Natsuki, as I thought, I really miss Shizuru. I want to see her. I want to clear things up." She hugged Natsuki and cried. Natsuki put her hand behind Nat's head and hugged her back.

"I know. I felt the same before." She said. _Poor thing. She must really miss her._

The next day, Nat and Natsuki looked like zombies. _In the end, after I finished crying, it was already morning. How many hours did we sleep? We were awakened half an hour later and including the one hour we slept before, we only slept for one and a half hour!_ Nat thought as she stifled a yawn while she did paper work with Natsuki, who also stifled a yawn. A knock on the door woke them up a little, as they grant the person on the other side to enter. Ni, Na, Alys, Lyssa, Saeko and Duran entered.

"Nee-chan, are you ok? You look like you're about to die." Ni asked, worried.

"What? Nee-chan! Don't die! Don't leave Lyssa!" Lyssa ran to Nat and Natsuki. (Yes, from what I heard, Alyssa from Mai Otome can be pretty childish and dense/naive too. I mean, in this fic, she's only 5.) Nat and Natsuki smiled.

"We're not dying, Lyssa. We're just tired, that's all." Nat said.

"By the way, Na, have you checked the infirmary?" Natsuki asked.

"No, I forgot. I'm sorry. Why do you ask? And also, Miya said to let her have some time to think." Natsuki nodded.

"We'll get Arika, and then go to the infirmary." A meow made them look down. A black and rather fat cat was staring at them.

"Perfect timing. Mikoto, can you go and get Arika?" the cat nodded and ran off.

"We'll leave first." Saeko said. Natsuki and Nat nodded.

"Nee-chan, can we go out with Mi and Yu later?" Both Alyssa asked.

"Of course." They replied.

"I'll leave first, 'kay?" Ni said and left when her two older sisters nodded. Natsuki looked at Nat and remembered the events the night before. What Nat had said before they fell asleep was troubling her.

"_Natsuki?"_

"_Hmm?"_

"_What do you do when the one who broke your heart is the only one who can fix it?"_

"… _I don't know."_

"Natsuki? Natsuki?" Natsuki snapped out of her thoughts and looked at her twin.

"Yeah?"

"Are you ok? I've been calling you since just now."

"Yeah. Just thinking of something."

"Last night?"

"Yeah." They were interrupted by a knock. Arika entered after the two Gakuencho granted her permission.

"Gakuencho, what do you want me for?" Nat and Natsuki stood up and walked towards Arika with Na.

"Come with us." They walked to the infirmary and went towards one of the beds.

"Look behind the curtain." Arika and Na looked behind the curtain, just in time to see Erstin waking up.

"Ers!"

"Ers-chan!

"Nina-chan? Arika-chan? Why am I?" Erstin sat up and looked herself over before catching sight of Natsuki and Nat.

"Two Gakuenchos? What happened?"

"We found something that somehow brought you back to life."

"Thank you."

"It's ok. By the way, she's my twin and she is also Garderobe's second Gakuencho." Natsuki said.

"Nice to meet you, Gakuencho-san. I am Erstin Ho." Erstin bowed slightly.

"Nice to meet you too." Nat said.

"I'm sorry, Ers." Na said.

"No worries. Yohko-sensei said that I can have classes today!"

"that's great, Ers-chan!"

"Let's go." Na said.

"Hurry, or we'll get scolded."

"Coming." The trio then left for classes. Nat and Natsuki watched them leave before walking to the bed beside the bed that Erstin was in.

"You miss her, don't you?" Nat said to the unconscious person with her head, left hand and back, although hidden behind her clothes, bandaged.

"Maybe that's why you've been making mistakes and getting hurt." Natsuki said.

"I wonder what we can do for you. You can't go on like this or one day you'll make a fatal mistake."

Let's go back to the office. We still have work to do." Natsuki said. Nat only nodded her head in reply.

"Get well soon, Yohko. Irina and the other students are trying to fill in your place. I don't think Midori will want to see you like this too." Although unnoticed, Yohko's hand twitched a little at the name 'Midori'. At the office, they were sorting out the papers when an army of Slaves attacked. Natsuki, Shizuru, Arika and Na immediately went to battle but there were too many.

"Let's try this out." Nat said to Alys, Lyssa and Ni, pointing to her GEM. They nodded.

"MATERIALISE!" They shouted together. Nat's robe is the exact copy of Natsuki's, except it was missing the clip. Ni's robe was the same as Na's robe. Alys's and Lyssa's robe looked similar to the dress Alyssa wore in Mai HIME, only the black parts of the dress were gold instead and there are the normal gear-like thing on the robes. All of them joined into the fight and soon after that, the other Otomes joined in, including Aswad. Of course, after the battle, Nat and Natsuki had to explain everything to those who didn't know. As Midori was about to leave, something Natsuki said to her made her freeze in her tracks.

"Yohko's been pretty depressed lately. She can't concentrate on her work and make mistakes, sometimes getting injured as a result. Only yesterday, she wasn't looking at where she was going and her head knocked on a wall hard. To make things worse, when she got up, because of her injured head, she felt dizzy and knocked into a table, causing the test tube on it to fall and break. She went to clean it up but it only resulted in her left hand being cut. She soon collapsed due to her dizziness. We found her a few minutes later, lying on the shards of the broken test tube, blood oozing out from the cuts on her left hand, her back and her head."

"She's been unconscious since and is resting in the infirmary now. I think the reason she couldn't concentrate lately is because she's thinking of you." Nat added. Midori stood there, not moving, as if she was thinking.

"Leader? You coming?" Gal asked. Midori shook her head.

"You go first. I'll return a little later." Gal nodded and left. Midori turned to Nat and Natsuki.

"Where's the infirmary?" she asked.

"We'll lead you there on one condition." Midori frowned. _Yohko's more important._

"What is it?"

"You answer our question honestly." Nat said.

"Shoot."

"Do you have any idea why she is acting this way recently?" Natsuki asked.

"I think so. It was around this time that year when she left us, when she left me." Midori said and the sorrow that was in her eyes did not go unnoticed by the two Gakuenchos, even if it was only for a split second.

"Can you bring me to the infirmary now?" Midori asked. The two Gakuenchos led Midori to the infirmary after nodding as a reply. At the infirmary, Nat and Natsuki decided that it will be best for them to leave Midori and the unconscious Yohko alone and left to continue their paperwork in the office. Midori sat beside Yohko and held her hand. _Yohko… Why did you leave me? What did I do? Do you know how betrayed I felt when I heard that you were missing? I thought that you hated me for something that I'd done. What was on your mind when you left? _Midori thought back on the times when they were living and playing happily in the Black Valley.

"_Midori! Let's play!"_ an image of a younger Yohko with longer hair smiling widely and calling her flashed in her mind.

"_Midori! Look at you!" _She remembered Yohko's face when she found out that she had gone out to play and returned dirty and with countless scratches.

"_Midori? Where are you?"_ That was when they were playing Hide-and-Seek. Midori was the hider and Yohko was the seeker.

"_Midori! Hey!"_ She smiled a little as she remembered pranking Yohko and running away, laughing as a half angry and half happy Yohko chased her.

"_Hey, Midori."_ Her smile faded. That was the day before Yohko disappeared. Yohko was talking to her and looked like she was about to say something more before shutting her mouth, choosing not to say whatever she'd wanted to say.

"_No, never mind. Good night, Midori."_ She had asked Yohko what was wrong, and that was her reply.

"_Let's go, Midori!"_

"_Midori! What are you waiting for?"_

"_Midori!"_ Yohko's voice echoed in her mind and before she knew it, tears were streaming down her face.

"Yohko!" She tried to suppress a sob but was unsuccessful as more tears flowed freely and more sobs escaped. She closed her eyes and cried like a child. A warm hand wiped away her tears.

"Midori…" Midori's eyes snapped open and she saw Yohko giving her a small tired smile as her other hand wiped her tears away.

"Don't cry… Why are you crying?"

"Yohko…" Midori's mind went blank. All she could focus on was the love of her life alive and awake.

"How are you feeling?" Midori changed the subject.

"Fine, although I'm a little tired. But don't change the subject. Why are you crying? I don't like it when you cry." Midori's heart skipped a beat. She looked away, trying to hide her blush.

"Well, I was thinking of the times when we were always having fun, playing with each other and also about the reason why you left." She turned to face Yohko and took a deep breath.

"Why did you leave that day? Is it something I did?" she blurted out. Yohko had a sad look on her face.

"No, it isn't something you did. Midori, do you remember Reito-san?"

"He's Rad now."

"I know, but he became Rad after he had to become a cyborg in order to survive because of the disease, right?" Midori nodded.

"The disease… when Reito-san got infected and became a cyborg, I was terrified. Terrified that you will get the disease and turn into a cyborg too."

"So… let me guess, you left because I started showing the symptoms?" Yohko nodded, sitting up with tears in her eyes.

"I couldn't bear the thought of you becoming a cyborg. It takes quite a long time until you will become a cyborg, so I decided to act fast and find a cure for it. That night, I was going to tell you my decisions, but I knew that you would stop me from leaving if you found out, so I left without telling anyone. I researched for a long time and joined Garderobe to further my research. That REM that you have, it was a result of my research. After knowing that it worked on you, I was overjoyed. Knowing that you won't become a cyborg took the load off my shoulders. I decided that I will stay in Garderobe to research more and find a complete cure for the disease."

"Why didn't you contact me?"

"I wanted to, but last I heard, you had made me your enemy, and after what I did, I couldn't bring myself to face you. I was scared that you hate me and refuse to confirm it" Yohko was crying silently while she explained everything to Midori, who just listened quietly. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around Yohko.

"Thank you, Yohko. I didn't know I brought you this much sorrow. I'm sorry. If I knew, maybe I would have left to search for you."

"It's ok. You didn't expect that I would leave and anyway, you are the leader of Aswad. They need you. You're the only leader for them." Yohko said, wrapping her arms around Midori and returning the hug.

"I'll find a place for Aswad nearby and then visit you occasionally."

"That'll be great." Yohko said and blushed as she leaned towards Midori while Midori blushed too as she leaned towards Yohko. As the two shared their first kiss, the door that was slightly ajar clsed and the two Gakuenchos walked away, satisfied that they had given Midori and Yohko to make up with each other and happy that they did.

… **I have nothing to say. Although I felt sad when I wrote the part with Yohko and Midori. **

**Nat: Why do you look so scared?**

**Me: *Cowering in a corner* B-beca-**

***Shizuru enters wearing her robe and holding her extendable naginata* Shizuru: Author-san, where are you? Oh, Nat, have you seen Author-san?**

***Nat, about to nod head, looks at Author still hding giving her a big cross* Nat: Nope. *Shizuru leaves* *Author comes out of hiding* Me: Because of that.**

**Nat: Why's she angry?**

**Me: I think it's probably because she didn't get to spend time with her precious Natsuki. *Nat nods head***

**Nat: Makes sense.**

**Shizuru: *Reappears with an angry Nao who are followed by few others* Author-san…**

**Together: WE'LL KILL YOU! *Author quickly runs for dear life.* GET BACK HERE!**

**Me: I can't! *Runs even faster***


End file.
